The First Congress of Soviets

Throughout the month of June, the First
All-Russia Congress of Soviets was held in Petrograd. Out
of 784 delegates
who had a full vote, the Bolsheviks numbered 105;
though they were a minority, their voice was loud and clear. As
the Congress discussed the future of Russia, doubt was expressed
as to whether any existing party was actually willing to accept
the responsibility of leading the nation. As if on cue, Lenin promptly
stood up and announced, “There is such a party!” Laughter was reportedly
heard following Lenin’s pronouncement, and few took him seriously.
To Lenin, however, it was no joke.

Bolshevik-Incited Demonstrations

On June 9, the Bolsheviks made
an open proclamation calling for civilians and soldiers
alike to fill the streets of the capital and to condemn the provisional
government and demand an immediate end to the war. Though
the proclamation called on demonstrators to state their demands
“calmly and convincingly, as behooves the strong,” the Bolsheviks’
true intention, as always, was to sponsor a violent uprising that
would topple the government. That evening, the Congress of Soviets,
anticipating the potential for violence, prohibited demonstrations
for a period of several days. The Bolsheviks gave in and called
off the demonstration, realizing that they still lacked adequate
support to carry off a revolution.

Russia’s Final War Offensive

In June, Minister of War Alexander Kerensky ordered
the Russian army to undertake a renewed offensive along the Austrian
front in World War I. Prior to the offensive’s start,
Kerensky personally toured the front and delivered rousing speeches
to the troops. Once under way, the Russian troops made brief progress
against the Austrians and even captured several thousand prisoners.
Within a few days, however, German reinforcements appeared, and
the Russian troops fled in a general panic.

The operation was a complete failure and weakened Kerensky politically.
Recognizing another opportunity, Lenin immediately stepped up his
efforts to agitate the Russian masses and eagerly waited for the
right moment to stage an armed uprising.

The July Putsch

On June 30,
the Petrograd Machine Gun Regiment, one of the largest and
most politically volatile military regiments in the city, was ordered
to report for duty on the front. Members of the regiment immediately
began to protest, and the ever-watchful Bolsheviks lost no time
in directing the full strength of their propaganda machine at whipping
the soldiers’ discontent into a frenzy.

On July 3, Bolshevik leaders decided
to try to use the regiment, in combination with their own armed
forces and 20,000 sailors
from a nearby naval base, to take over the Petrograd Soviet. The
Bolsheviks called for an extraordinary meeting of the workers’ section
of the Soviet, and the next day, July 4,
an armed mob began to assemble outside the Tauride Palace, where
the Petrograd Soviet had its headquarters.